Tuesday, March 11, 2014

People say that things happen for a reason. I didn't understand it then, but now I really do. This is my short story of fruitful things that I've been able to do since I joined the Lenovo community in 2008.For those of you who are not familiar with it, it's a place where people help each other with their tech issues. Some of the loyal lot stay back and become it's core users or super users. They are people who's names are never known but ,they help the brand by staying in the front line - defending it as an advocate, as a super user or a loyal customer. I was fortunate enough to be one of an earlier member who was mentored upon by a handful of people to become a moderator. And this was when I got a sense of fulfillment for joining the forums.

Fast forward six years, I've had plenty of opportunities to interact with many people and was invited to join a Lenovo influencer network which gives me an opportunity to reach out and share my story. And this is story one of those. It was in late January when I was given a chance by Lenovo to donate a Yoga tab to a charity of my choice. I agreed to take on this opportunity and was looking out for a fitting organization or a person. This is when one of my family friend came to my rescue. Ms Premalatha is a Child development project officer who works with the Department of Women welfare. She suggested that I take a tour of Maaillu(Our home when translated) and then decide if it was the right place where I could donate the tab. This is when I told about Rajitha. The moment I met this girl, I knew that she was a deserving person.
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Being an orphan did not stop her from pursuing her dreams. I personally spoke with her as she took me for a tour of the massive campus which is run for the betterment of orphan kids and especially girls. I was moved by the enthusiasm and dedication that the girls were putting upon. She also explained her own story about how she joined the orphanage around 8 years ago, and how her interest in Mathematics allowed to complete her master's in one of India's most prestigious colleges.

Maaillu is located in a serene location, far way from the chaos of the city. This helps the kids to grow up in a peaceful environment. Maintaining a constant flow of donations for 200 orphans is quite a big deal but they have been able to pull through situations because of the kids are bright and have shown their mettle in various streams they are pursuing. I've seen girls who are pursuing their education in Math, Computers, Medicine, Nursing and other vocational courses.

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It was a humbling experience for me to spend that day at the orphanage. After being told about how people from companies like oracle come over in the weekends to teach the students when needed, I was wondering if I could do the same from my end whenever time permits me. Women empowerment is the key here,and the better way is only when these girls have the right tools to utilize and source information for their needs. I thank Lenovo from the bottom of my heart for making this happen, and I look forward towards similar opportunities where I can do my bit of help to the society.